The present invention relates to a connector capable of preventing incomplete fitting, and more particularly, to a connector which detects an incomplete fitting state between a pair of female connector housing and male connector housing, based on whether a fitting detector provided on one of the connector housings can slide up to a predetermined position when the connector housings are fitted with each other.
FIGS. 4 and 5 show a related-art connector 50 of such a type. A female connector housing 60 which is one of the connector housings constituting the connector 50 is provided with a fitting detector 70 which is fitted to the female connector housing 60 so as to surround an outer periphery thereof. The fitting detector 70 is formed with a retainer 71 in an upper part thereof.
The female connector housing 60 contains a plurality of female terminals 62 inside a main body 61 and is provided with a flexible lock arm 64 having a hole 63. Moreover, the female connector housing 60 comprises a front holder 66 which is fitted into the main body 61 by way of an O-ring 65.
Prior to a fitting operation with respect to a male connector housing 100, the retainer 71 of the fitting detector 70 is inserted into the hole 63 of the female connector housing 60 from the above. When a front end portion of the retainer 71 has come into contact with a front end of the hole 63, the front holder 66 of the female connector housing 60 is restricted to the initial position in which the front holder 66 protrudes from the fitting detector 70.
When the male connector housing 100 has started to be fitted with the female connector housing 60, a projection 101 of the male connector housing 100 is inserted from the below into the hole 63 of the female connector housing 60 thereby to push up the retainer 71 of the fitting detector 70 out of the hole 63, whereby restriction of the fitting detector 70 with respect to the female connector housing 60 will be released.
After the restriction with respect to the female connector housing 60 has been released, the fitting detector 70 slides relative to the female connector housing 60 to be displaced up to a position indicating the complete fitting. Then, the retainer 71 rides over the flexible lock arm 64 of the female connector housing 60 and locked to the flexible lock arm 64 with a feel of click thereby to be restrained from the sliding movement. With this motion, the complete fitting state of the male connector housing 100 with the female connector housing 60 can be detected, and male terminals contained in the male connector housing 100 will be brought into electrical contact with the male terminals 62.
However, the connector 50 has had a problem that when the fitting detector 70 slides relative to the female connector housing 60, the female connector housing 60 may be pressed with a hand or fingers of an operator who is conducting the fitting work, and in some cases, the fitting detector 70 may not slide relative to the female connector housing 60, resulting in the incomplete fitting state.